“Dressing is a highly coded practice, but it is also wonderfully playful and creative and can be used in a freer way to express a performative approach to gender identity,” Jorlén said.
The exhibit was a collaboration between Jorlén, DIS students, and other faculty at DIS involved in fashion and culture. Jorlén’s beautifully executed work became a platform for students to further explore the subjects of their courses.
The pieces were flesh inspired and pushed the boundaries of a stereotypical body. Lumps of nude fabric and tool wrapped around manikins, not recognizable as human.
The exhibit showcased pieces from Danish designers such as Alberte Holmø Bojesen, Alecsander Rothschild, and Nicholas Nybro.
“Themes of what constitutes normal bodies in fashion, the media, and our culture permeate many of our courses, and our students critically examine dominant discourses and explore critical and alternative narratives of gender norms and gender fluidity,” Academic Director, Helle Rytkønen, shared.
Jorlén is a former faculty member at DIS as well as a published author of Niche Fashion Magazines. She’s currently working on a book titled, Fashion Stylists, and has taught cultural studies of fashion at both the London College of Fashion and the Parsons Paris School of Art and Design. Most of her research revolves around radical fashion and its connection to identity constructs such as gender and dominant beauty standards.
“Our visual identity is an extension of our sense of self, including our gender identity,” Jorlén said.
Held in the DIS library, the space is in a central location. Even passersby couldn’t help but poke their heads in and check out the exhibit.
“The event was fabulous, beyond expectations. Ane managed to curate fashion pieces from very prominent and edgy Scandinavian designers and the exhibit profoundly questioned gender norms and body ideals, and opened for very interesting conversations with our students,” Rytkønen said.
>> Check out Jorlén’s book, Niche Fashion Magazines, here.
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